Soulflame
by azazemon
Summary: Nearly a year after the Team stopped the invasion of The Reach, a string of kidnappings has brought them into contact with a mysterious, armored young man. His initial secrecy in connection to the kidnappings drives the Team to investigate him, and uncover a new threat that they must race to stop before it catches the attention of The Light.
1. Chapter 1

**_A Gathering Darkness_**

 **Gotham City  
** **March 8 20:06**

A woman ran through the dark alley, tears streaming down her face as she screamed for help. Behind her, and man in a black robe was quickly closing the distance. She began knocking down trashcans, shopping carts, whatever was nearby in hopes of slowing him down. Soon she could only hear her footsteps, but didn't dare slow down for fear that he was still on her tail. She turned a corner to find a dead end, and fell to her knees in despair. As his shadow loomed over her, she resigned herself to her fate and buried her face in her hands.

"Now my dear, it's time to give your soul to the Dark Sister." The man said reaching out for her.

His hand was suddenly knocked away by a birdarang. As he looked up he saw Robin bearing down on him, electric staff poised to strike. A large, black tendril shot out from the shadows and quickly ensnared him.

"Oh, and now I have two souls to give to the Dark Sister. She will reward me greatly for bringing her the famous Robin." he smiled.

"Don't be too sure of that." Robin warned.

Miss Martian, Superboy, and Wonder Girl dropped down from Miss Martian's bioship, still invisible to the naked eye.

"Let him go." Superboy warned.

"No, the dark lady will have her souls. All of you, will be her sacrifices!" he snarled.

At that moment, a sword fell from the sky and struck the ground, followed quickly by a young man, landing next to it. He had umber skin, golden eyes and short, black hair. He wore golden armor, except for a bandaged left hand, and a flowing, red cape. In the middle of his chest was a diamond shaped crest bisected by a line with in X going through it. He picked up his sword with the bandaged hand and pointed it at the cultist.

"Release the boy, and reveal the location of the Dark Sister." He demanded.

"Who's this guy?" Wonder Girl asked.

"No idea." Superboy answered.

"You waste your time knight." the cultist closed his hand, causing the tendril around Robin to begin constricting him.

"Robin!" Miss Martian called out.

As everyone began to move to help Robin, the knight quickly slashed the tendril with his sword. As he landed he swiftly turned to punch the cultist in the stomach before he could do anything else and slammed him into the ground. He then picked him up by his collar and pinned him to the wall, sword poised to strike his heart.

"No more games swine, tell me what I want to know." he pressed the tip of the sword against his chest.

Superboy grabbed his arm,"You're not going to get any info from him if you kill him."

"I won't be killing him, the witch will for his failure to acquire more souls. I will convince him to tell me where the Dark Sister he's delivering these souls to are." the knight reassured him.

"Witch? Dark Sister? What are you talking about? Who are you?" Wonder Girl demanded.

"I'm hearing questions with answers that won't help me complete my objective. I'll ask again, where is she?"

The cultist gave a sinister chuckle,"The Dark Sister waits beneath the city for her victims, and she has acquired many. If you feel you have the power to face her, you will find her below, in the sewers. When you see her, tell her I sent you."

"Why?"

"So that I can be justly rewarded for delivering your soul to her."

"Let's put a pin in that." the knight said, slamming him against the wall to knock him out.

"Thanks for the help." Robin said.

"Not very gentle are you?" Miss Martian said sarcastically.

"He's all yours." the knight said turning to leave.

"Gonna tell us who you are now?" Superboy asked folding his arms.

Without a word, the knight took off into the sky.

"Hey!" Superboy yelled after him.

"He can fly?" Robin sounded surprised.

"Wonder Girl, get after him. We'll follow in the bioship." Miss Martian said.

"On it." Wonder Girl confirmed taking off after him.

The light reflecting off his armor made him easy for Wonder Girl to find.

"Hey! Hold on for a minute!" she called after him.

He suddenly stopped in the air, eyes closed as though he was deep in thought. He dove towards the ground, arms outstretched as though we was going to punch through it.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Wonder Girl exclaimed diving after him.

 _Wonder Girl, I've established a telepathic link. What happened?_ Miss Martian asked telepathically.

 _He's diving towards the street! I think he's going to punch his way through to the sewers if he doesn't go splat on the pavement! I can't catch up!_

He smashed through the streets and into the sewer, floating there for a moment and looking around. With four ways to go he closed his eyes again. He ended up going left, slowly floating down the dimly lit corridor with Wonder Girl right behind her. Torches lined the walls of the sewer, each one looking as though they had been put up recently.

 _Are these sewers normally full of torches?_ she asked

 _No, but that cultist said this Dark Sister was beneath the city. Stay on him, we're right behind you._ Miss Martian answered.

They came upon an old wooden door, light emanating from its cracks. The knight held his arm back, signaling for Wonder Girl to stop.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"Let's wait for your friends before we take her on." he whispered back.

As Miss Martian, Superboy and Robin came running down the corridor, he help his hand up telling them to stop, before putting his index finger to his lips telling them to be quiet.

 _What's going on?_ Robin asked.

 _He said he was waiting for you guys to catch up before we take the Dark Sister on._ Wonder Girl answered.

 _He say anything else? Like who he is?_ Superboy asked.

 _He either doesn't answer or just dodges the question._ she responded.

The knight opened the door to what looked like the inside of a church. At the altar stood a woman in a hooded, black robe,with her back to them. Next to her was a large, bulky and humanoid shaped being that appeared to be made of a smoking, black ooze. A tendril protruded from it's body and latched itself onto the face of a man kneeling before it.

"Release that man and prepare yourself Dark Sister!" the knight yelled, pointing his sword at her.

The woman slowly turned around to show grey, cracked skin and bright, red eyes. The tendril then threw the man to the side as glowing, white eyes appeared on the head of the shadowy creature.

"More souls to feed my Lady's creation? Glorious! I shall enjoy watching you die especially, knight." she smiled.

"Where is the witch?" he demanded.

She didn't answer, but instead gently caressed the shoulder of the creature.

"Time to feed my dark one. Make sure they suffer before the end." she whispered.

She turned as a portal opened behind her, walking into a pitch black area beyond it.

"Are you just going to let her get away?" Wonder Girl asked outraged.

"Attempting to stop her would leave me open to an attack from that...abomination." The knight raised his sword,"Besides, we need to save the innocent trapped within."

"There are people inside... _that_?" Robin was shocked.

"Yes, and if we don't hurry, they'll be consumed by it."

"He's right, I can hear people screaming in that thing." Miss Martian confirmed.

"But what is _it_?" Wonder Girl asked.

"And how do we fight it?" Superboy added.

"We call them Feeders. As they attach themselves to people they amplify and feed off the negative emotions and darkness in a person's soul. Over time they drag that person into them where they devour them whole, adding them to their shadowy mass. This one's only about 9 feet tall, which is pretty small for them. We'll need to strike it with fire to burn away it's flesh and remove whoever we can from it. With no victims to sustain it, it'll devour itself."

"Why is it just standing there?" Robin asked.

The knight seemed to notice this fact too, then quickly turned to them,"Can any of you move?" he asked urgently.

They were all surprised to find that they couldn't.

"I can't! What's happening?!" Wonder Girl asked.

"This thing is also incredibly cunning with it's psionic abilities. That dread you feel creeping up on you is how the Feeder stops you from moving."

"I...can't...break...free." Miss Martian struggled trying to use her own mental powers to escape.

"It uses every terrible emotion and memory you've had as it's way into your mind. The more potent the bad memory, the easier it is to hold you down."

"How do we break its hold?" Superboy asked, visibly struggling to move.

"If we had a way to connect our minds I might be able to project my own mental fortitude into you four as a buffer, allowing you time to get your thoughts in order."

"I can connect you to us telepathically! It's how we communicate on missions." Miss Martian offered.

"That's...actually convenient. Do it, quickly before it catches on. It can't hear us, but can feel our emotions and uses that as it's way of figuring out what to do."

 _Telepathic link established. Can you hear me, knight?_ Miss Martian asked.

 _Yes. Now prepare yourselves, I'm going to strike you with the white fire from my sword. This isn't actual fire, merely an extension of and powered by my own positive thoughts. When I strike, you'll be able to move as the Feeder's hold over you will be broken. When that happens, it's going to attack, so move fast and don't get hit by it. It's skin is like quicksand, devouring whatever it comes into contact with. Does anyone else have a weapon that emits fire or some kind of light?_

 _My staff is electrified, and I have explosive birdarangs_ , Robin chimed in.

 _Alright then...um..._

 _Robin..._

 _Right! I knew that. You'll be with me as we assault the Feeder. Be careful as you strike it so you're not hitting hitting the people trapped within. Strike at its skin, it'll dissolve as the light from your electric staff hits it. Blondie, macho man-_

 _The name's Superboy_

 _Yeah, and Wonder Girl_

 _Sure...As we expose the people trapped within, pull them out._

 _I can use my telekinesis to pull them out as well._ Miss Martian offered.

 _Yes, do that. Alright, brace yourselves._

The knight's sword was suddenly enveloped in bright, white fire. The Feeder slightly recoiled at the sight of it, bracing itself for an attack. The knight turned and swung his sword at the Team. A stream of white fire shot out of the sword and came down on them. Miss Martian immediately covered her face as a reflex, then suddenly realized she could move again.

 _I suddenly feel an overwhelming feeling of confidence._ Wonder Girl smiled.

 _Man, you've got a really big ego._ Superboy smirked.

 _Luckily for you there's enough to go around._ the knight shot back.

The glowing, white eyes on the feeder suddenly grew larger as it gave a low growl and charged at them on all fours. The knight turned back around and swung his flame covered sword at it, slashing its shoulder. The Feeder immediately jumped away from him, but Robin came from behind and struck at it with his electrified staff. He saw what looked like an arm and called out to the Team for someone to come pull them out. Wonder Girl initially tried, but the Feeder turned and attempted to grab her, forcing her to fly out of its reach. The dark, sludge like skin of the Feeder began to cover the arm again. Robin struck at a spot slightly above the arm, revealing the face of woman, who immediately gasped for breath and called out for help. Superboy grabbed a pew to hit the Feeder with so Wonder Girl could grab the woman. The knight's eyes suddenly glowed red, and beams of red energy burst from them and struck the Feeder's, stunning it long enough for Wonder Girl to pull the woman out, and revealing another individual trapped in its chest.

 _D-did you just shoot lasers from your eyes?_ Robin sounded amazed.

 _You can be amazed at how awesome I am after we've rescued the victims._ the knight sounded annoyed.

As Wonder Girl pulled the woman out, the Feeder's size grew significantly smaller. Where it towered over them it first, it was more or less around their height, but still incredibly bulky.

 _I'd say there's probably two more people left._ the knight sounded confident.

 _How will we know?_ Miss Martian asked.

 _If it doesn't shrink into nothingness, then we'll know._ he responded.

The Feeder's smaller size made it considerably faster. It tried to dodge both Robin's and the knight's attacks and reclaim the woman Wonder Girl rescued. It stopped, reared it's head back and spit a smoking, black blob at her. Miss Martian got between them and put up a telekinetic shield. The sludge struck her shield, then slid off and hit the ground, slowly eating away at it like acid. The time it took for the Feeder to perform that action was enough for the knight to slice off it's right arm. The Feeder reeled and grabbed at it's shoulder, giving Robin enough time to strike it's back again. This time he plunged his staff into the Feeder, causing the victim trapped in its chest, this time a man, to slowly protrude out. As Superboy went to pull him out, the knight flew up and once again shot the beams of energy from his eyes around the area Robin plunged his staff, allowing him to pull it out. As Superboy retrieved the man and retreated to a safer location, the Feeder lost much of it's bulk. It now had the shape of an average sized man, though a large bulge appeared on it's back. With blinding speed the the knight severed the bulge, causing to shadowy skin to release the man trapped inside. The remaining piece of the Feeder rapidly grew smaller until it suddenly evaporated, leaving a small crater in the ground it started to eat through.

"They're all alive!" Wonder Girl exclaimed happily after checking their pulses.

"Great, job well done team." Miss Martian added.

The knight turned to leave, only to have Superboy block his path.

"You gonna tell us who you are now?" he asked folding his arms.

"Despite how valiantly you fought, I'm under orders not to disclose my name or purpose here. It's safer that way."

"I'm not normally one for disobeying orders, but if we hadn't crossed paths and combined our strength who knows what would've happened to these people." Robin chimed in.

"Yeah, we've been investigating kidnappings in various cities for the last few months but never seemed to pick up a trail. Now you come along and not only do we find a save three people, but you also seem to have more knowledge on this than you're willing to share." Miss Martian said.

The knight sighed,"Look, by my orders I should've gotten away from you four and then found this place, but I thought my chances of rescuing them from this creature was better with others here. I've already broken that order and another one by even having this conversation. I'll inform the Grandmaster of your concerns and if he changes his mind about working with you all and the Justice League, perhaps we'll find you again."

"Then take this," Miss Martian handed him one of their communication devices,"If your Grandmaster decides we should work together, you can call us on here."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement, then flew off.

"So is anyone going to comment on the flight, the strength, and the lazer eyes?" Wonder Girl asked out loud.

"He also had a magic sword, and that sweet armor. I've never seen anything like that." Robin said.

 **The Watchtower  
** **March 8 22:09**

"Sounds like this knight has a few secrets we need to find out." Batman said after he was briefed about the cultists,"This 'Dark Sister' also presents a problem. I've never encountered something like this before."

"Yeah, it was pretty freaky. Lucky for us that knight was there." Wonder Girl said.

"Yes, also lucky that he took the device. It also lets us track him and see where he goes." Batman added.

"Where has he gone since leaving the sewer?" Miss Martian asked.

"He appears to be moving around the country really fast." Superman answered, staring at the map as the red dot began quickly moving around the country,"You said he could fly right?"

"Fly, strong enough to punch a hole through to the sewer, had a flaming sword and shot lazers from his eyes." Robin said.

Superman and Batman exchanged looks.

"Good word today team. With any luck, we'll hear back from this knight and his Grandmaster. They seem to know more than we do what's going on with these kidnappings." Batman said.

They waited until the Team left before turning their attention back to the map.

"Seems like a pretty big coincidence we've gotten no where with these kidnappings for months, only for this guy to show up and lead us towards...well, mostly more questions than answers." Superman said.

"There's definitely more to this than we originally thought. I also wonder whether this young man is another meta-human, or possibly..."

Superman turned to look at him,"Nothing about him is recognizable to me...still...something's not right."

"Well, now that we can track him, things _will_ become more clear." Batman reassured him.


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Dark Sister**_

 **The Watchtower  
March 9 18:45**

Nightwing entered the mission room to find Batman staring at the map of the U.S.A. The signal from the device given to the mysterious knight seemed to dance around the country at a blinding speed.

"Is he still just zooming around the country?" he asked.

"He hasn't stopped since he left the sewer." Batman answered.

"It's almost been a day. No way this guy is human."

"Maybe, but it's obvious he has abilities of some sort that allow him to perform these feats. I'd wonder about him being another meta-human, but I've never seen this young man before."

The signal suddenly stopped at Chicago, Illinois, before slowly moving west where it came to a halt in northern Kansas.

"Looks like he finally stopped." Batman said.

Suddenly, the device began calling back towards the tower.

"He's trying to contact us, get everyone in here." Batman ordered. Nightwing made the announcement for everyone to gather in the mission room, the Team and members of the Justice League.

As everyone gathered in the room, Batman connected the call. The map was replaced by a large screen, showing the face of the knight.

"Oh, my apologies, I thought this was the device to call the martian girl from last night." he sounded embarrassed.

"You've reached the right place, we're the Justice League. I understand you told Miss Martian you'd give us a call if your Grandmaster agreed to working with us on stopping these cultists." Batman reassured him.

The knight shifted the camera to show two more people with him, both wearing the same armor as he was. One was a young girl, with tan skin, amber eyes and long, black hair that reached the middle of her back. Next to her was a fair-skinned young man with bright, green-blue eyes and dirty-blonde hair.

"My name is Arin. This is Maya, and Raiku. I've been given permission to tell you at least that much, but the Grandmaster still wants us tight lipped about our business here." Arin said.

"Understood for now, but you have to understand that with what we've found out about these kidnappings, we're going to need more answers. It's a conversation for another time however. What was it that you were calling about?" Batman asked.

"We tracked the Dark Sister Miss Martian, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Robin and myself ran into last night to this abandoned factory in northern Kansas. If she's involved I fear they may be more innocents trapped inside who may we may be able to save again. Unfortunately, between the three of us, we'd have our hands full trying to take down the Dark Sister, and she's not above killing the captives to escape. We'd appreciate it if you could aid us again." Arin said.

"You'll definitely get aid, but can you tell us more on who or what these people are?" Batman asked.

"Followers of a witch we've been hunting. The Dark Sister is a follower she who's soul she has twisted beyond repair. She thrives on the misery and pain of others, which makes fighting her with innocents around difficult. She's looking for something that I...can't reveal to you over a channel such as this. I understand you all operate with four man teams correct? If so, three squads should be enough, as each of us can go with a squad to ensure you will have protection against their dark magic." Arin said.

"Alright, we'll send three squads to meet you at once. Sit tight." Batman said.

"Thank you. Raiku, scout out the perimeter for entrances we can use to get inside." Arin ordered.

"On it!" Raiku said cheerfully and dashed off the screen.

"We'll wait here for you. Arin out." he said as the screen turned off.

"Well, at least we have some names now." The Flash said.

"And, apparently there are more of them." Green Arrow added.

"Do any of you have anything to add on this 'Dark Sister' Arin mentioned?" Superman asked.

"Aside from the red eyes and extremely creepy getup? No. We didn't even fight her, she left and we had to fight that Feeder thing." Robin answered.

"We'll leave this to you all then. From the last meeting he's given us his name and more information on who are enemy is. Let's hope after this his 'Grandmaster' can be persuaded further to work with us against this threat." Wonder Woman said.

As the Justice League walked off, the Team assembled to be divided into squads.

"Alright, from what we know about fighting these things so far, we'll need a combination of light-emitting attacks, and people fast and strong enough to pull out victims." Aqualad said.

"Team Alpha will consist of myself, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Tigress. Team Bravo will be Kid Flash, Robin, Lagoon Boy, and Blue Beetle. Team Charlie, Wonder Girl, Static, Bumble Bee, and Batgirl. Blue Beetle, Batgirl, you'll take charge of your teams when we all split up. Keep in mind, not only are we going to gather more information as we thwart the plans of these cultists, we also want to extend the hand of friendship to these three. They look powerful, and are obviously very guarded about revealing too much of themselves. So far extending the olive branch has gotten us a callback and names. Let's hope after this we'll get some answers as to what's going on, as well as possible teammates to work together with. Move out!"

"Wait! I'm gonna get in on this one too." Nightwing said.

"Then let's suit up and go make some new friends." Aqualad said happily.

 **Kansas  
March 9 20:12**

The Team arrived to find all three knights waiting in the fields a mile away from the factory.

"You seemed to have brought the cavalry. Thank you." Arin said, extending his hand.

Aqualad shook his hand,"Always happy to help, especially for something like this."

"I'll reintroduce you all to Maya and Raiku, so...here they are." Arin extended his arm towards them.

While Raiku smiled and waved, Maya stared at the factory as though she was watching for something.

"A pleasure to meet you both." Aqualad said.

"Same, can't wait to make some memories busting some heads." Raiku said.

"I like this guy already." Nightwing said.

Maya turned around,"It's a pleasure indeed. From what I can sense, the Dark Sister is still in that factory, and she's definitely not alone."

"Is it more of those Feeder things?" Robin asked.

"We're not sure. For the moment, we were waiting on you guys to show up before we split off to do our reconnaissance. If we find out it's just the Dark Sister and some cultists being weird and creepy, we take them out." Raiku said punching his hand.

"But, if we do see that they're doing some unspeakable thing in there, depending on what it is we'll have to observe what we see and report back to the Grandmaster for further instruction." Maya added.

"The most important thing to find out first however is whether innocent people are once again caught in the crossfire." Arin said.

"Then let's get to it. Arin, Alpha team will go with you. Maya, you can get Bravo and that leaves Raiku with Charlie." Aqualad said.

"Works for me. I suggest we all take a bit of time to see how we can help each other out should a fight happen. We owe you that much." Arin said.

"I've scouted four possible ways into the factory and marked them. So if each team wants to follow their respective knight we've got a bit of a distance from the factory that we can use to get to know each other better." Raiku said.

"Before we go, I'll establish a telepathic link so that we don't have to worry about being overheard." Miss Martian said.

"Oh, that's going to be extremely useful." Mara said happily.

They split off and headed for a different entrance.

 _So what kind of abilities can we expect from you three?_ Aqualad asked.

 _As far as what will come in handy? Flight, strength, speed, and magic. Raiku is more melee oriented, while Maya prefers range. I sit in between that to add my own skill wherever we start to come up short._ Arin answered.

 _I'm not really clear on how the magic works between you three and those cultists. Do you cast spells or what?_ Nightwing asked.

 _The cultists use spells, though mostly dark magic. It's less of an incantation and more evocation. They expel the darkness in their souls and use that to power to affect the world around them. For example, the Dark Sister in there likes to use ice when she attacks. When powered by how dark and twisted her soul is, that ice becomes corrosive, freezing and eating away at whoever gets hit by it._ he answered.

 _We use runes, magical symbols that enhance our abilities, or add an effect to us. Most of the runes we have either help shield us from their dark magic, empower our own, allow us to summon each other, and so on._ Maya added.

 _Why is she called 'Dark Sister'?_ Batgirl wondered.

 _She's part a set of sisters, seven in total, along with a big brother they call the 'Dark Brother.'_ Raiku answered.

 _What other capabilities does this Dark Sister possess?_ Aqualad asked.

 _She's physically stronger than probably most of you, and as agile as a jaguar ballerina. Ice is her weapon of choice, freezing her opponents only to watch them slowly die. She's pretty twisted. If we end up fighting, you guys might want to take a step back and let us handle her._ Raiku said.

 _I think you might be underestimating us there pal. We can take her down if we all work together._ Robin said.

 _I'm not trying to be insulting, it's simply the lack of defenses you all have if we fight her. She's fast, she's strong, and she'll use that to hit you with her dark magic; a weapon you guys don't have a way to defend against and could potentially be fatal to you. If you are hit, then one of us will have to come to your aid before her ice eats away at you, leaving us open to an attack as well._ Raiku assured them.

 _As I said before, we're here to lend you whatever assistance you may require._ Aqualad said.

 _And we'll need you all to take on the cultists and rescue whoever they may have captured. I see each of your teams has someone who fought with me last night. I guess I don't really need to go over how to take down a Feeder if there are any down there._ Arin said happily.

They each approached a hole on different sides of the factory, quietly slipping in only to find the abandoned factory to be anything but abandoned. The actual floor of the factory was twenty feet deeper, and full of cloak wearing cultists. In the northern corner was crudely built pen containing seven terrified kidnapped civilians.

 _As we feared, they have more victims._ Maya said.

 _I recognize some of those people. They've been missing for weeks._ Kid Flash said.

 _There were more than just seven who've gone missing. Where are the rest?_ Nightwing wondered.

 _Either they're in a different area, or they've been killed._ Arin said sorrowfully.

 _Then let's save them before they're killed too!_ Wonder Girl exclaimed.

 _First, we need to find out what they're doing. More importantly, we can't act until we have eyes on the Dark Sister._ Arin said.

 _But-_ Wonder Girl began.

 _I understand that you want to save them, I do, but if we charge in there without taking inventory of their assets we'll only be putting their lives in more danger. Once we've located the Dark Sister we'll go after her, leaving you all to take down the cultists and save those people._ Arin reassured her.

In the middle of the factory floor were cultists gathered in a circle around a strange symbol with one cultist standing in the middle.

 _That looks like a soul rune._ Maya said.

 _What's it do?_ Blue Beetle asked.

 _The soul rune is the first rune we're branded with, allowing us to eventually unlock what is called 'Soulflame'. When a practitioner of certain schools of magic reaches a high enough level of magical proficiency, they can use this rune to unlock a power that reflects what burns in their soul._ she answered.

 _Branded? Like with a cattle prod or something?_ Nightwind asked, shocked.

 _Not exactly. It's more like a magical tattoo whose power we're able to invoke without the use of incantations. Some we can activate at will, others have requirements before they activate. The soul rune is one of those._ she corrected him.

As the cultists began to chant, the rune beneath the center cultist began to glow. After a few moments, he began to scream as his body was suddenly enveloped in purple fire before he was suddenly reduced to ash. The Team looked on in horror as another cultist slowly took his place, only to be met with the same fate soon after.

 _Looks like his future just went up in flames, am I right?_ Raiku joked.

 _What are they doing?_ Batgirl asked, horrified.

 _It looks like they're trying to force out their soulflame, but that kind of power will overwhelm one who isn't skilled enough to control it._ Arin answered.

 _They've formed a line. Looks like they're all willing to give their lives for this...whatever this is._ Maya sounded confused.

 _So then what are the captives in the pen for?_ Nightwing asked.

One cultist stood on a platform overlooking the entire factory. He grimaced as each cultist that stood on the rune were soon reduced to a pile of ash.

"It's like looking at your current status in the eyes of our Lady, is it not?" Came a sweet, but dangerous tone from the shadows.

Out walked the Dark Sister, her footsteps leaving an icy trail behind her.

"N-no, dear Sister. This is simply a minor inconvenience, no thanks to these weak spirited fools. Most of them can't even use dark magic. This is as much use as we will get from them. Please, my Lady's will shall be done tonight, and we will unlock the secrets of the souldflame." he voice sounded seconds from breaking.

"Fools? Like the one you sent to Gotham, who informed the knight and his comrades of my whereabouts beneath the city? My Lady was not pleased that one of _her_ children was lost thanks to one of _your_ fools." she spat.

"Please dear Sister, I already have men on the way to retrieve him to face judgement for his actions."

"So now we waste even more resources on him? You are proving to be nothing more than incompetent in my Lady's eyes." she said, walking up to him.

As she extended her hand a spear made of ice formed; she pressed the tip against his throat.

"I should get rid of you now and spare my Lady more irritation from your failures," she hissed. She then pointed the spear at the pen,"However, these lambs will make up for your idiocy, for now. Take them to be reborn." she ordered.

"Before we do that," Arin yelled, dropping down with Maya and Raiku,"Let's continue our conversation from yesterday."

The Dark Sister glared at the lead cultist,"And now you can't correctly secure the perimeter."

She stabbed him in the chest with the spear, leaving it in as the he was slowly frozen to death. She jumped off the platform and made another spear of ice.

"Dear sister," she said sweetly, looking at Maya.

"Do _not_ call me that!" Maya snarled.

"Mother will be hurt that you've once again gone against her."

"Tell mommy dearest she should come say that in person." Raiku said.

"Impudent boy! You will not-" the Dark Sister noticed Kid Flash opened the pen, and along with Beast Boy were quickly making their escape.

"FOOLS!" she bellowed at the cultists,"IF THEY ESCAPE I WILL HAVE ALL OF YOUR HEADS!"

"Now!" Arin yelled.

The rest of the team dropped down, surprising the cultists and buying more time for the hostages to escape.

"Didn't that guy you just deep froze say something about most of these guy _not_ knowing any magic?" Raiku smirked.

The Dark Sister charged at him as the rest of the factory erupted into a brawl. Raiku dodged her lunging attack and attempted to knee her in the face. She blocked his attack and readied her spear for another thrust, but Arin quickly sliced it in half. In the split second between that and the Dark Sister forming another spear, Raiku kicked her in the chest, knocking her back. She quickly regained her footing and formed a shield of ice to block the blasts of magical energy Maya threw at her. This turned out be a distraction as Raiku smashed threw her shield and knocked her into the wall.

"It's over, stand down." Arin warned, pointing his sword at her as the other two surrounded her.

"Three on one isn't a very fair or heroic thing to do." she said mockingly.

"Please feel free to direct all you complaints to the decaying wall behind you." Arin shot back.

Arin barely managed to move out of way as a portal opened behind him and the blade of a sword shot out at him. The sword was soon followed by a large man clad in black armor; red eyes gleaming like taillights from behind his helmet. He quickly grabbed the Dark Sister by her arm, and without another word pulled her into the portal.

"Because of course it wouldn't have been that easy to catch one of them." Arin sighed.

They turned to see that the Team had taken down the cultists and evacuated the hostages.

"Victory! Well, sort of." Raiku declared.

"What happened to the Dark Sister?" Aqualad asked.

"Her brother happened." Arin answered.

"We've gotten all the hostages out, and I believe these cultists aren't going to be a problem anymore." Aqualad said.

"They're all yours." Arin grinned.

"Well, if you pick up on their trail again, we'll be more than willing to help you out." Aqualad extended his hand for Arin to shake.

"We'll be in touch." Arin shook his hand.

 **The Watchtower  
March 10 00:14**

"Well done on rescuing the hostages. The authorities were able to reunite them with their families, and those cultists are behind bars." Batman said.

"Were you able to find out more about those three?" Superman asked.

"The Dark Sister referred to the one called Maya as 'sister', and it visibly upset her. They're definitely connected to whoever these individuals are, but they're still not saying much about themselves." Aqualad answered.

"They seem willing to trust us more as we help them out with these cultists. Hopefully they'll come clean with what's going on in the near future." Nightwing said.

"We can only hope." Superman said.

"For now," Batman looked at the map where the signal for the communicator began darting around the country again,"We'll keep an eye on them."


	3. Chapter 3

**_The Living Legacy_**

 **The Watchtower  
March 12 14:30**

After nearly two days of watching the signal on the map move around the country, it finally stopped over Metropolis. When the screen showed another incoming call, Batman called everyone to the briefing room again.

"The Grandmaster has agreed that we would save more lives and have a higher chance of success if we work together. He's requesting to meet at the top of the Daily Planet, and of all the people who should come, at the very least it should be Kal-El." Arin said.

"Wait, how do you know my real name?" Superman asked.

"If you want to know more you'll have to meet us here." Arin answered.

"Why don't you and the Grandmaster come to the Watchtower? If we're going to have talks of cooperation and collaboration Everyone should be involved." Superman offered.

Arin looked off screen as though asking the question to someone else, then turned back,"We can do that. Is there a special way to access it or...?"

"We'll send Aqualad to escort you through one of our portals in Metropolis." Superman said.

"We'll be standing by." Arin confirmed before cutting the feed.

"You sure seem excited to meet these people." Wonder Woman said as Aqualad left.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but I'm wondering-"

"If they're Kryptonians?" Batman finished for him.

"I'll admit, I'm pretty excited myself. These knights look like they'll make some pretty tough allies with this rune magic of theirs." Green Arrow said.

A few moments later, Aqualad came through the portal, followed by Raiku, Maya, and Arin. The fifth person through had the same umber skin and golden eyes as Arin, but looked far older. He had a bald head and a black beard peppered with grey. Instead of a cape attached to his armor like the other three, he wore a red cloak that covered his shoulders. A pendant bearing the same symbol on his chest held the cloak to the armor.

"Welcome to the Watchtower." Superman said extending his hand.

"Thank you. My name is Oren-Ket, Grandmaster of the Runic Knights and patriarch of house Ket." Oren declared as he shook his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Oren. I just have one question for you before we begin. Are you..."

"Kryptonians? Yes."

The room fell silent as everyone stared on.

"This...this is amazing! I can't tell you how happy I am to meet more survivors." Superman sounded overjoyed.

"Wait, if Krypton was destroyed decades ago, how are you three so young?" Green Arrow asked.

"Cryosleep. When Krypton was destroyed, there were a few ships that escaped the blast but ended up adrift in space. To ensure their survival until they were found, the ships were programmed to preserve that individual exactly as they were at that moment until they were found. Where I managed to arrive where I needed two, these three were adrift in space for a number of years as infants. I found my grandson, Arin, a few years before I found Maya and Raiku." Oren explained.

"So then how old are you guys?" Nightwing asked.

"I'll be 21 this year, they'll be 17." Arin said.

"However, I've come here to ask that we work together taking down our common enemy; a witch named Scilia. She too is a survivor of Krypton, and the betrayal of our planet that lead to its destruction is on of her many crimes." Oren continued.

"Do you know what she's looking for here on earth?" Batman asked.

"She seeks an ancient power sealed away by the first of my order here on earth; the vestige of the abyss. It's the remains of a dark sorcerer who centuries ago delved so deep into dark magic that his twisted soul managed to alter his physical body. It was the first of a technique we call soulflame. Our magic, along with Scilia and her followers, is powered by the soul. When one invokes their soulflame, the nature of their soul is reflected upon their physical being. The dark sorcerer who first evoked his soulflame was such a wretched being he corrupted the very earth around him."

"I have hunted Scilia since the destruction of Krypton, and with the power we receive thanks to the effects of a blue sun we have been able to thwart many of her plans to attain power." Oren said.

"Did you say a blue sun?" Superman asked.

"Yes. I had coordinates to Earth as well after Krypton's destruction, but the explosion damaged my ship and I ended up landing on Mars. I thought for certain I would perish there, but the effects of this system's yellow sun began to empower me. I broke free of my ship and noticed the void of space didn't effect me; I didn't even need to breathe. I was stronger, faster, and after a few days of experimenting discovered I could also take to the skies...or stars in this case. I flew to Earth, but was disappointed to think at the time I was the only one who made it. I was among the few who agreed with your father, Jor-El, that we needed to evacuate the planet, but our cries fell on mostly deaf ears."

"You knew my father?"

"Yes, though we belonged to different guilds I had the utmost respect for your father's intelligence. I was the only one on the Defense Council who heeded his warning about the planet, and upon further investigation I discovered Scilia was behind it. It took precious time to gather the evidence needed, but I was eventually able to bring her crimes to light. I would learn as I went to arrest her that she had already fled, and the planet was soon to be gone. I...went to find my son to ensure that he, his wife and my grandson would use my ship to escape. When I found him, and we went to retrieve his wife, he knocked me out and put me on my ship. I would learn later from a recording that his wife had a terminal illness and he intended to stay with her till the end. My grandson, Arin, was just a few weeks old when they put him on their ship for the same destination as me. They're plea was that I would raise him in their stead, as she would be taken by her illness, and he couldn't bear to leave her in her final moments. Unfortunately, Arin's ship was also knocked off course and he was also lost in space for some time. I believe you were the only one who made it here with no trouble Kal-El."

"When I arrived on Earth I soon found the Runic Order and asked that they teach me their methods in order to combat Scilia's dark magic. They accepted me, and for a few years I trained and even established my own base on the north pole of Mars. I constantly scanned for signs of my grandson's ship, and one day came across it in a distant system. It took me a few months to retrieve it, but when I returned I found the order had been destroyed. I found the old Grandmaster near death and asked what happened; his response boiled my blood. He explained that a witch appeared, demanding the whereabouts of a dark power they sealed away a long time ago. When the Grandmaster refused, he said she brought forth a foul magic he had never encountered before. He said that her strength and speed was similar to mine, and upon mentioning my name she informed him that he'd be left alive long enough to tell me what happened. Before he passed, he named me Grandmaster, and told me she must never find what she seeks. I left with Arin soon after, my resolve to take her down stronger than ever."

"I gathered my base and began my search, but couldn't pick up her trail. As I traveled I noticed the different effects the radiation from suns in different phases had on us. I found the blue sun the most extreme, and locked my base in orbit around one. For a few more years I stayed there, training and raising Arin while keeping my eyes open for any sign of the witch. One day, I came across another signal and recognized it as a ship launched from the nursery. I was overjoyed that more people listened and managed to even evacuate some of the newborns. When I retrieved the ship, my joy would soon turn to sorrow. The ship had been heavily damaged from the explosion and the years spent in space damaged it further. Of the 24 that were inside, only 8 were still alive. I rushed them back to my base, but was only able to save the two you see before you. I raised them as my own and trained them as well, though growing up under a blue sun increased their abilities beyond anything I could imagine. Even kryptonite doesn't have an enormously detrimental effect on us as it would you Kal-El. This was our only advantage over Scilia, as her dark magic began leaving her physical weaker. She compensates for this with her legion of cultists, potent dark magic, and deceptive tongue. Her children, who've become known as the Dark Sisters and Dark Brother, are also kryptonians, who's father she forced herself upon."

"We heard one of them refer to Maya as 'sister'...Is she?" Aqualad asked.

"...yes. Maya is the only one out of her children that I recovered before she did. Scilia seems to see this as a personal blow against her, as she views her children as nothing more than property. Amongst the insults she hurls at me she considers my 'theft' of her daughter the most severe, and constantly vows to reclaim her. Of course her delusions will never be reality, but I have no doubt each one of her children didn't go into that life with her willingly. Scilia lured them in with her dark magic, twisted their love for her until they were reduced to nothing more than servants."

"Any knowledge you can share with us about this woman would be greatly appreciated." Superman said.

"Of course, I will share everything we know so far. Since we thwarted her plans at the factory she's retreated to the shadows. It's only a matter of time before she appears again." Oren warned.

"While you do that, we'll go keep ourselves busy; maybe head back to the base." Arin said.

"Where is your base?" Batgirl asked.

"A few hours away when flying at top speed." Arin replied.

"We have some extra rooms here in the Watchtower you four can stay in so you don't have to travel so far. At least then if and when Scilia resurfaces you'll be right here." Batman offered.

"Oh, we wouldn't want to trouble you with-" Oren began.

"Please, it would mean alot to me if you did. I have so many questions to ask you." Superman urged.

"Hmmm, I suppose we could stay until this matter is resolved. It will also provide an opportunity for my knights to train with your young heroes to establish good teamwork." Oren confessed.

Oren turned to Arin, Maya and Raiku,"Once you've received your lodgings, take the time to become acquainted with the young heroes here. You'll be working with them in future conflicts against Scilia."

"Same goes for all of you. Take them out for pizza or something." Black Canary ordered.

"If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your rooms." Aqualad said.

"We didn't really bring a change of clothes to walk around in." Maya admitted bashfully.

"We've got some clothes you guys can borrow for now." Batgirl reassured her.

"I guess that means our first stop will be the mall." Miss Martian said happily.

"That sounds awesome...now what's a mall?" Raiku asked.

"It's like a trading hub where you exchange goods using currency of some kind." Arin answered.

"That's...pretty accurate." Robin said.

"It's also a good place to get some lunch and socialize." Batgirl added.

"I heard food, I'm sold." Raiku declared.

Aqualad led them to their rooms, and after they assured him they were fine, went to go change over. Miss Martian arrived a few minutes later with a t-shirt, jeans, and sandals for Maya.

"These are just something to wear until we can get you some actual clothes." she said cheerfully.

"Oh, I appreciate it, but this is fine. Plus, I don't have any money to trade for clothes." she said apologetically.

"Don't worry, we're cover you. You guys are our guests after all." she reassured her.

"Oh, all right." Maya conceded,"Thank you."

As she was changing over, Miss Martian noticed a marking on the back of Maya's shoulder.

"Is that a birthmark?" she asked.

"Of sorts...a memento from my...mother." she answered solemnly.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright. It's the kryptonian symbol for the number nine. When we were...made...Scilia branded each of us and made sure we were to be evacuated when the planet was destroyed. This brand would let her know who her child was when she recovered them. It's her way of letting us know 'we're hers'."

"That's horrible! How could she do that to her own children?" Miss Martian sounded outraged.

"We're not children to her...at least not in the way a mother would usually treat her children. She's sees us more as property, or useful servants to discard later."

"I can't imagine how it must be for you to fight your own siblings."

"I feel bad for saying this, but it doesn't bother me as much as it should. I mean, I never knew them and the times we have come face to face they've tried to kill me. Nothing like attempted fratricides to strengthen familial bonds."

"Well, hopefully some R&R and pizza will lift your spirits. We'll be in the briefing room when you're done. I'm gonna go change over. Oh, I'm Megan by the way." she extended her hand.

"It's a pleasure Megan,"she replied, shaking her hand,"I'll meet you out there then."

After she left, Maya turned in the mirror and lifted the sleeve of her shirt. She gazed at it for awhile, and with a weary sigh covered it back up. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts as she left the room she ran into Blue Beetle.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't see you there...um..."

"That's alright. Maya, right? Name's Jaime, the guy in the beetle armor."

"Oh, ok. I forget you guys have to wear masks and whatnot to hide your faces. Pleased to meet you Jaime."

"Were you looking for the briefing room? I'm heading there right now."

"Oh, perfect timing then. Now I don't have to worry about getting lost."

As Arin finished getting dressed, he paused to look at his bandaged arm. He wanted to continue looking for Scilia instead of hanging out at a mall, but knew there'd be no point in searching. Still, something about her sudden disappearance made him feel uneasy.

"Yo! Ready to go?" Raiku asked peeking around the doorway,"I wanna try this pizza the fast kid kept talking about."

"Yeah, I'll be there in a bit." Arin replied.

 **Undisclosed location  
** **March 12 16:00**

The Dark Brother entered a large cavern with the Sister he rescued behind him. They joined the other six Sisters gathered there, each one looked indistinguishable from the next.

"Mother is not pleased with your failure Sister." One said.

"The knights have found us, and once again brought our little sister to fight with them." the Sister replied.

"Why must she hurt Mother so?" Another lamented.

"The knights shield her from Mother's love as they fill her head with lies."

"We must rescue her; we cannot allow them to keep our family torn apart!"

"Yes, they must suffer the pain they cause Mother."

"But we cannot strike. Mother has forbidden us from continuing further."

"We cannot allow them to continuing corrupting our sister!"

"Cease your prattling." The Dark Brother commanded.

"Yes Brother." They all replied at once.

"While I agree that they must pay for the pain they cause Mother and their continued corruption of our sister, we will not disobey Mother." he growled.

"What shall we do Brother?"

"We can't be a family without our little sister."

"If we were to reunite her with Mother it would please her so."

"For now, we must watch and take notice of those who dare take our place in her life. When the time is right, they must be removed, and our little sister must know the pain of their passing. She will long for Mother's love when despair has taken her." he hissed.

"Yes, let her love."

"Let her live."

"Let her know joy."

"So in the end, we can tear it from her."

"And then, she will know Mother's love."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Levity**_

 **Metropolis  
March 12 16:30**

When they arrived at the mall, they split into three groups: Tigress, Batgirl and Miss Martian went with Maya, Kid Flash, Robin and Blue Beetle went with Raiku, and Aqualad and Nightwing went with Arin.

"Wow, there's...so much stuff here. I don't even know where to begin doing...well anything!" Maya's eyes sparkled with delight.

"That's usually the attitude of the average female mall goer." Batgirl joked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get a chance to get either of your actual names." Maya said extending her hand.

"Barbara Gordon, pleasure to officially meet you again."

"Artemis, same."

"We'll have to remember to have the rest of the team meet and greet you guys so we can all get an idea of how we'll work together." Miss Martian said.

"Yeah, didn't recognize that guy Jaime when I bumped into him earlier. Also didn't expect him to be that cute." Maya admitted.

"Crushing on guys at mall? Also the usual activity of the average female mall goer." Batgirl added.

"I wouldn't really call it a crush. I've seen plenty of crazy looking aliens and just thought that armor was what he actually looked like."

"You also didn't expect him to be that cute." Tigress teased," You should ask him out."

"No no no, I won't be doing that. Once we're done here we'll be leaving anyway. It's best not to make attachments like that." Maya said.

"You guys sure move around alot. Do you have a home?" Miss Martian asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"The Grandmaster's ship I guess. We go there whenever we lose her trail, except for now."

"He said that it orbits a blue sun. I've heard it's the sun that empowers you guys the most." Batgirl said.

"Yeah, the first thing the Grandmaster taught us was control so we wouldn't accidentally punch holes in the ship." Maya admitted.

"If that's the case how have you guys _not_ defeated this witch yet?" Tigress asked.

"She still wields really powerful magic along with those cultists of hers. The Dark Sisters and Dark Brother don't make it any easier, especially when they put innocent lives at risk in order to escape." Maya replied in exasperation.

At the food court, Robin, Kid Flash and Blue Beetle couldn't hide their amusement at Raiku's newfound love for fast food.

"I mean seriously, how do you guys not eat here _all the time_?" He asked in between taking bites of his burger.

"I'm not sure how a kryptonian metabolism works, but too much of that stuff is pretty bad for us human folk." Kid Flash joked.

"How can something so good be so wrong?" Raiku asked woefully.

"You sure you didn't get too much?" Robin asked looking at his plate.

"Burger, fries, a pizza, and this milkshake thing? Nah, shame you guys didn't want to get more. We're growing boys after all." he said cheerfully.

"You're eating that like you've been starving. You should slow down before you choke or something." Blue Beetle warned.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to get scolded again by the Grandmaster." Raiku admitted.

"I take it he's a pretty strict guy?" Kid Flash asked.

"You bet, though I have an awesomely bad habit of pressing his buttons." Raiku gave a fiendish grin.

"So how was it growing up chasing around that woman?" Robin asked.

"I don't really have another life to compare it to, so I guess I _could_ say it's been pretty awesome. Saw tons of cool worlds, met some quality people, stopped that witch from destroying the lives of a couple thousand people. Good times, good times."

"You seem like the most upbeat out the four of you." Blue Beetle commented.

"Yeah, I pretty much am. The Grandmaster was a general, so he's all for the rules and discipline, and Arin is pretty much on that train as well. Maya kind shifts between taking things seriously, and goofing off with me." Raiku finished his burger and started on his fries.

"Yeah, she bumped into me earlier. Had to reintroduce myself since I wasn't wearing the armor."

"Yeah she said something about being surprised about how cute you were without it. Don't know why she thought that was your actual skin." Raiku said absent-mindedly.

"She said that?" Blue Beetle asked, surprised.

"Yeah, not her best observation if you ask me. It's obvious that was armor and not-"

"No I mean the cute thing?" he asked hurriedly.

"That? Oh, yeah. She's totally into you, without the bug armor but I don't think that matters much now. Anyhoo, if you guys want, I've got tons of stories to tell, and you can even tell me some of the cool things you do around here." Raiku offered.

"Sounds pretty crash and I might take you up on that if you give me a slice of that pizza." Kid Flash bargained.

"Yeah, we're currently trying to stop this peanut gallery of villains who call themselves the Light." Robin explained.

"Odd name for a group of villains to name themselves. I guessing these are the 'we're the best thing for mankind' villains?" Raiku asked.

"Definitely. They even tried to help this alien force called the Reach enslave the alien scarab attached to my spine." Blue Beetle added angrily.

"Definitely sounds like a story I'll sacrifice a slice of pizza to hear."

Aqualad, Nightwing and Arin decided instead to take a walk around town. Both noticed that Arin wore a jacket and kept his left hand in his pocket.

"So as someone who's been around the galaxy, what do you think of Earth?" Nightwing asked.

"It's definitely different, but almost exactly how grandfather described it." Arin gazed at the tall buildings.

"Almost? Did we come up short somewhere?"

"He said that even though you humans look like us, you don't possess any powers. That was obviously false as some of you do, but grandfather was very prideful of Krypton and the achievements of her people. I'm not surprised he tried to sell you guys short when it came to descriptions." Arin chuckled.

"Well if you're impressed by this, you'll be amazed if you ever get to see Atlantis." Aqualad said.

"That's if we stay long enough for me to have that chance." Arin said sadly.

"I'm guessing your granddad moves you guys around alot?" Nightwing asked.

"Yes. He said it's dangerous to stay in one place, and even more dangerous to for any of us to make any friends. That's why I find his order for us to get better acquainted with you all strange." Arin stopped and seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"I believe that maybe he could've had a change of heart, or maybe our success will rely on how much we trust each other in battle. I'll admit I am somewhat puzzled by your grandfather's assumption that friends are somehow a weakness." Aqualad said.

"It's not that it's a weakness, it can be exploited by her. If she can't hurt you physically, she'll go after the things you care about instead. It's a typical thing for villains like her, so grandfather has been adamant about us not having any 'cracks in our armor'." Arin explained.

"He almost sounds like Batman." Nightwind admitted.

"Which one was he?"

"The scary looking guy in the black cape."

"Isn't he the one who gave us this currency to trade with? He doesn't seem so bad." Arin said.

Aqualad and Nightwing chuckled at this statement.

"Yeah, he's more of an acquired taste."

They turned the corner and began walking through the park. Arin took the time to observe the activities taking place around him. Aqualad and Nightwing noticed that he looked almost confused at the playful activities before him.

"You alright?" Nightwing sounded concerned.

"Yeah just...never really saw anything like this before." he admitted.

"Children...playing?" Nightwing asked, confused.

"Is that what it looks like?" Arin raised an eyebrow.

"I take it your childhood did not leave much room for play?" Aqualad asked.

"No. Before we found Maya and Raiku, he was hell bent on making sure I knew how to fight and control my power. Even after them, he wasn't as strict, but our activities were either hunting her down, or training in preparation for her resurgence whenever we lost track of her. Maya and Raiku didn't really get the same treatment."

"This is probably a silly question, but what do you do for fun?" Nightwing asked.

"I'm not really the 'fun' king of guy; that's Maya and Raiku. If we're not actively hunting the witch, or whatever evil doer we come across, I'm usually training. I'll admit...having to socialize isn't one of my strong points."

"Well, how about we change that? Let's hit the arcade." Nightwing suggested.

"I-I don't know how to play 'arcade'. I told you I'm not one for these activities." Arin protested.

"We know." Aqualad chuckled.

Nightwing put his hand on Arin's shoulder,"Don't worry, we'll show you how. It'll be _fun_."

Arin was taken aback by the atmosphere of the arcade. He didn't know what to make of the various games before him, and felt a bit embarrassed. Nightwing and Aqualad gathered quarters from the machine and led him over to the three basketball shooting games.

"So, all ya gotta do, is the shoot the ball in the hoop. Like this." Nightwing explained, shooting the basketball into the hoop.

He became frustrated after he missed his first few and started watching Aqualad and Nightwing. Once he felt he could mimic their technique he gave it another try. After a few more attempts he was elated when a ball finally went in.

"Good work man!", Nightwing congratulated him,"Now we're going to make things more interesting."

"How?" Arin asked.

"See who can get the most in the net before the timer runs out, for bragging rights of course."

"I accept the challenge." Arin said.

"Same here." Aqualad added.

They played five games, with Nighwing winning 3 and Aqualad and Arin winning one each. They moved on to other games throughout the arcade, from bowling to video games. Despite how much Arin was enjoying himself, he couldn't shake the sinister feeling that they were being watched. Every so often he's see something in the corner of his eye, just out of his sight. The slightest turn in the direction of the elusive object caused it to go away, only to return moments later. He thought he was being paranoid, but he saw Nightwing and Aqualad also seemed uneasy. He decided to use the reflective screen of the video game and put a quarter in. He lost the round and as the screen went black, he nearly had to bite his lip to keep from making a scene. For a split second he saw the glowing red eyes of a Dark Sister in the arcade before she suddenly vanished. He went to Nightwing and Aqualad, and with a smile, and putting his arms around them led them out of arcade and back towards the mall, filling them in on the way.

"And here I thought you were finally opening up." Nightwing said,"So, what do you think we should do?"

"We'll continue on as though I didn't see her." Arin said, earning a look of shock from the other two.

"Do you think that's-" Aqualad began.

"If they're wasting their time stalking us, then we know they're not putting that much manpower into finding the vestige. When we meet back up at the watchtower later I'll ask Maya and Raiku if they saw anything too." Arin said.

"I believe they were going to see a movie in another thirty minutes or so." Aqualad said.

"Well, I say we should join them. Safety in numbers right?" Arin suggested.

Nightwing called Batgirl, and when she confirmed their next destination was the theater, the three headed that way. By the time they arrived, the girls were already there. Arin noticed that Maya had bought a new outfit.

"So what have you boys been up to?" Batgirl asked.

"Took a walk around town, then stopped at the arcade to teach this guy how to have some fun." Nightwing answered, pointing at Arin.

"Arin? Having fun? You actually managed to achieve that?" Maya sounded shocked.

"Hey! I'm not that bad." Arin protested.

"Did you take a picture? I always wondered what him having fun would look like." Maya joked.

"What's this? Arin had fun? And it wasn't training?" Raiku walked up with Robin, Blue Beetle and Kid Flash.

"Yeah, even won a basketball game at the arcade." Nightwing added.

"As I live and breath, it seems miracles _can_ happen." Raiku said dramatically.

"Alright alright, you've made your points." Arin admitted,"I did have fun, and as you can the see the sky isn't falling so can we please go watch this movie?"

They bought their tickets and proceeded inside to the concession stand. When they found their seats, Kid Flash began to eye some of the candy Raiku purchased.

"Hey Raiku, gonna share the wealth with some of those treats?" he asked.

"Uh sure. I think I might've bought too much this time." Raiku admitted.

"Hey Blue, wanna switch seats?" Kid Flash asked.

"Dude, that stuff's gonna rot your teeth if you eat too much of it." Blue Beetle warned as he got up.

"Ah sugar's good for you. Here, have some popcorn." Kid Flash said handing him a large bucket full of popcorn.

"We just ate like, twenty minutes ago. Why did you get so much?" Blue Beetle asked.

"So you can share." Raiku and Kid Flash said in unison.

Blue Beetle turned to see he was now sitting next to Maya. He turned back around and frowned at Raiku and Kid Flash for tricking him. They, along with Robin, smiled and gave him a thumbs up in return.

"Um...want some popcorn?" he asked her.

"Yeah! Thanks!" she responded, happily taking a handful.

 **The Watchtower  
March 12 17:35**

Oren spent the evening reminiscing about Krypton with the Justice League. Superman couldn't stop smiling.

"I still can't believe after all this time I wasn't the only one who survived." he beamed.

"Clark's pretty much a middle aged man. Why haven't you ever revealed yourself or even dropped by to say 'hi!'?" Green Arrow asked.

"Sadly, Scilia's schemes demanded constant vigilance on my part. Word did reach my ear eventually of the champion from Earth who was also kryptonian. My first thought was that Jor-El had indeed survived, and in my haste for retribution against her I hadn't noticed him. When our travels brought us close to this planet I did take a moment to see who this person was. Imagine my surprise to learn that his son was this champion others spoke of. Your father would be so proud of what you have accomplished here." Oren said warmly, patting Superman on the shoulder.

"Thank you, but you still haven't told us why you never revealed yourself." Superman said.

"I...felt that we were in the past. When I finally had a good look at you I realized that this was your new home, and these people were your new family." Oren said.

"You're family too Oren." Superman assured him.

"Yeah, we could definitely use more kryptonians around." Flash added.

Oren pondered the idea for a moment,"Hmmm...perhaps we could stay depending on how this situation turns out."

"What do you mean?" Batman asked.

"If we stop her and she escapes, we must give chase. We've only been able to back her into this corner because of how relentlessly we've pursued her. If we stop her and see that she faces justice...then perhaps we could." Oren said.

"With all of us working together, we'll stop her." Superman said confidently.

 **Uknown Location  
** **March 12 22:00**

The Dark Brother stood on a cliff overlooking an endless ocean, a full moon hanging overhead. As the Dark Sisters emerged from the shadows behind him, he didn't even turn his head.

"Well?" he growled impatiently.

"They spent the day sauntering about the city before watching a movie Brother." One reported.

"And the Grandmaster?"

"His location is still unknown to us. We assume he is with the Justice League in their satellite base."

"Excellent. It seems this planet has slowed them down considerably from how relentlessly they've been in the past. Mother will be pleased to hear of this development." he chuckled.

"Brother, there is one more thing."

"What?" he sounded irritated.

"It appears our little sister is beginning to befriend some of the humans on this planet; humans with no defense against our power."

He turned around, and beneath his helmet a sadistic grin formed on his face,"Go on..."


	5. Chapter 5

**_Mysteries_**

 **The Watchtower  
March 15 17:00**

Batman and Oren were watching a report on the news filled with pleas from the family and friends of those still missing that they be returned home safely.

"From your experience fighting this woman, do you think those still missing are still alive?" Batman asked.

"I'm not aware of this secondary goal she is trying to fulfill with these humans, so I'm not certain. If they still are, I gather they won't be for too much longer." Oren answered.

"There haven't been any more kidnappings, so we can be thankful for that." Batman said.

"Yes, but I wonder whether it's from our meddling or if she already has what she needs." Oren contemplated.

"The only way we'll know for sure is to find them. Did the Rune Knights have any records on how to find the vestige?" Batman asked as he changed the screen to show a map.

"Some records made references to an unspeakable evil sealed away long ago, but no mention of how or when. I believe this was in case something like this happened the perpetrator wouldn't have any information to help them find it. Of course, this puts us in the same predicament as well, but I believe I've uncovered a clue." Oren said, zooming the map in on Egypt.

"From what my records show our order began in ancient Egypt during the Third Dynasty. Egypt is known to many as a place that has strong magical energy within it. We should start there." he concluded.

"What exactly will we be looking for?" Batman asked.

Oren showed him a strange hieroglyph on an old piece of parchment,"This hieroglyph is the first symbol the Rune Knights used to identify each other when the order first came to be. During the Third Dynasty the capital of Egypt was Memphis. We should start our search there."

At that moment the alarm in the Watchtower went off. A map of Gotham suddenly appeared with a large red dot blinking on it.

"What's going on?" Oren asked.

"After discovering the rituals the cultists were performing I programmed the Watchtower to alert of if any of that same kind of energy came up again. Since it has, I'm guessing we're dealing with another ritual." Batman answered.

"No matter who you send, Raiku will go with them while Maya investigates Memphis." Oren said.

"What will Arin be doing?" Batman asked.

"He has...training that I must supervise. It can't wait unfortunately." Oren answered.

Once Aqualad was informed, he made two teams to accompany Maya and Raiku. Blue Beetle would accompany Maya to scan for the symbol, while Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Superboy and Robin went with Raiku to search for the cultists.

 **Gotham City  
March 15 17:30**

The Dark Brother silently observed the cultists conducting various rituals around him. Indignation filled him as his job was to ensure that nothing disturbed the rituals. He glanced over at the kidnapped civilians locked in a cage. Some hung their heads, resigned to their fate. Others were either sobbing, pleading for their lives, or making threats of knowing or being the child of someone who'll "make them pay." He fought back the urge to crush their skulls, as they were essential to Mother's plan, and he feared his punishment if he should fail.

While the others searched the streets, Raiku and Kid Flash checked the sewers. They saw that torches were still attached to the walls, and wondered if the cultists were still using the sewers. Their first stop was the altar where Arin and the others took down the Feeder. They quickly moved about the room, overturning chairs and pressing on the walls for any sign of secret passages. Raiku tried using his X-ray vision to see through the walls, but the magic in the area seemed to interfere with his vision. He started getting anxious, he didn't want to come across a Feeder full of civilians.

"Don't worry, we'll find them." Kid Flash reassured him.

"I know, I just hope we find them still human and not something else." Raiku said, concern in his voice.

Raiku felt a chill run down his spine. He knew they were close, but he couldn't tell if the chill came from the dark magic, or if something more sinister was waiting for them. He didn't hide his expression fast enough for Kid Flash not to notice.

"What's wrong?"

"Just...stay on your guard. I think they might be down here, but something doesn't feel right."

They continued through the sewers, wary of every shadow He eventually came upon a waterfall, and at the bottom was a door guarded by a cultist.

He used the telepathic link Miss Martian established to alert them.

 _Guys! Found a cultist and a spooky door! I think this is it!_

When they all finally caught up to him, they went over their plan of attack.

"I can knock him out telepathically and we can take his keys." Miss Martian said.

"Awesome, but we don't know what's inside. Their using magic to block my X-ray vision." Raiku said.

"How is that even possible?" Robin asked.

"Flight, strength, speed, heat and x-ray vision are some of the basic powers a kryptonian gains when exposed to anything but a red sun. Scilia, the Dark Brother and the Dark Sisters are kryptonians themselves, so they're well aware of what we can do and know how to stop it." Raiku explained.

"If they're also kryptonians, why aren't they flying or fast like you guys are?" Superboy asked.

"Dark magic comes at a price, even for our kind. It's corrupted them so much they can't even stand in the sun, which is why they're so pale and heavily covered. Kryptonite still works on them though, so that's a plus." Raiku answered.

"No worries, I can phase through the wall and take a peek." Kid Flash volunteered.

As Miss Martian knocked out the cultist, Kid Flash quickly phased through the wall and took a quick glance around the room. He saw a group of cultists, ten in total, gathered around one of the kidnapped civilians placed on the same symbol they saw cultists bursting into flames on at the abandoned factory. The others, he counted thirty, were kneeling with their heads bowed, minus the few that guarded the other kidnapped civilians. He suddenly turned and locked eyes with the Dark Brother, who had been watching him the entire time.

"Who is that boy and why did the guard not stop him from entering?" he asked loudly, his voice piercing the silence.

 _Oh crap!_ _He saw me!_ Kid Flash informed the others.

Raiku smashed through the wall and went straight for the Dark Brother.

 _Get the civilians out of here! I'll keep him busy!_ he told them.

The Dark Brother caught Raiku's punch and threw his own, only to have it caught as well.

"Of all the people the Grandmaster sends to face me, he sends the mongrel. I'm insulted." The Dark Brother sneered.

"I got your mongrel right here!" Raiku exclaimed, kneeing him in the face and kicking him into the wall.

Kid Flash and Miss Martian went to rescue the civilians while Robin and Superboy took on the cultists. Many were armed with nothing more than daggers. One lunged at Superboy and stared in disbelief as his dagger shattered when he stabbed him. Superboy threw him into another group of cultist and started clearing a way for the civilians to escape. He looked up to see Raiku's fight with the Dark Brother was evenly matched. He knew that Raiku was simply buying them time to rescue the civilians. Kid Flash attempted to quickly grab the civilian in the ritual circle, but found a barrier of magic blocked his path.

 _I can't get to the civilian in ritual circle! There's a magical barrier or something in the way!_

 _Robin, that staff's electric right?_ Raiku asked.

 _Yeah_

 _His armor is metal, and that helmet doesn't offer him a good range of vision. If you strike him from behind it'll give me an opening to lay him out._

 _I'm game, let's do it!_

Raiku threw a flurry of punches at the Dark Brother, using his ability to fly and the Dark Brother's inability to do so as a way to move out of his range whenever he retaliated. The Dark Brother grew tired of this exploitation, and the when Raiku flew up to escape his range again he jumped up after him. Raiku successfully blocked his punch, but the strength behind it sent him flying into the ceiling. Robin chose that time to strike, coming from behind and bringing his electric staff down to strike. The Dark Brother quickly turned around and caught his staff with one hand. The crackling electricity from the staff didn't appear to affect him as he used his other hand to grab Robin by the throat.

"I think I'll take this staff and shove it-" he was cut off as Raiku, fist engulfed in bright, red energy, punched him in the face.

As his fist connected a shockwave knocked everyone back and sent the Dark Brother crashing into the floor. Raiku used that moment to quickly form a rune in his hand to dispel the barrier around the civilian. Kid Flash quickly grabbed them, and along with Miss Martian and Superboy began leading the civilians to safety. Raiku raised his fist, and the same red energy enveloped his entire arm.

"WRETCHED MONGREL!" The Dark Brother bellowed as he leaped towards Raiku. His hand was open, as though it were a claw, with black smoke trailing behind it.

The explosion caused from their clash sent the Dark Brother back into the ground and Raiku through the ceiling and out into the streets. The others managed to evacuate the civilians before the room crumbled behind them. Raiku watched as the Dark Brother escaped through a portal, but before he could pursue him he realized he couldn't feel his arm. He looked down to see a gash in his arm where the Dark Brother clawed him, black smoke faintly rising from it.

 _Raiku! Are you alright?_ Miss Martian asked.

 _He got me in the arm, but it's nothing Oren can't heal. Did you guys get all the civilians?_

 _Yes. We're heading to Gotham PD right now._

 _Awesome. I'm heading back to the Watchtower. Gotta hurry and get this wound healed._

As he flew off he looked back again at the giant hole in the street.

 _Crap...I'm probably getting scolded for this._ he sighed.

 **Memphis, Egypt  
** **March 15 20:45**

As Blue Beetle scanned the city from above, Maya walked through the streets looking for the symbol Oren showed them. She eventually came across a bridge, and found the symbol carved into the side of it.

"Hey! I found it!" She alerted Blue Beetle.

Blue Beetle began scanning the area around the bridge, and saw a large room was under them with the staircase a few feet away. The entrance looked to be behind a large stone wall. Blue Beetle changed his hand to a cannon and prepared to blast through it.

"Whoa, slow down there cowboy." She said lowering his arm,"For all we know there's a ward or a trap that'll reflect that right back at you."

 _Jaime Reyes, the Kryptonian female speaks the truth. This section of the wall emits strange energy. Proceed with caution!_ The scarab warned him.

"Oh...sorry." he lowered his arm,"So how do we get through."

"I'm...not sure." Maya admitted, slowly reaching out to touch the wall.

A ripple formed at the point her finger made contact, as though the wall were made of water. She pressed her hand against it and found that it actually went through. Blue Beetle tried as well, only to get knocked back.

"I guess it only allows Rune Knights through. Makes sense; wouldn't be much of a base if anyone could walk in." Maya commented.

"So should I just wait out here?"

"I have a better idea."

She grabbed his hand started going through the wall.

"Whoa! Hold on a second!" he protested.

He attempted to resist, but her strength was greater as she dragged him through the wall.

"I was hoping that would work." she said, letting go of his hand.

"What would've happened if it didn't?"

"You probably would've been knocked back again."

They continued down a dark, winding staircase until they came upon a door. Time had taken its toll as the wood was heavily rotted and at the slightest touch it fell from his hinges and onto the ground. The room behind it was full of scrolls and parchments all written in hieroglyphics.

"Can that being on your back read ancient Egyptian?" Maya asked.

"Yeah, but it's gonna take a while to go through all of this." Blue Beetle said.

"We just need to find any reference to the vestige."

"Then let's get started."

They spent the next hour going through the documents in the room.

"So...um...how do you like Earth so far?" Blue Beetle asked, breaking the silence.

"I love it, especially how easy it is to blend in. I don't feel so...alien here. I can see why the Grandmaster chose to come here."

"How many worlds have you been to?"

"I've lost count, but we were only on them to hunt down that witch. The other day was the first time in a long time we just...hung out."

"Yeah, that Grandmaster of yours seems real strict."

 _Jaime Reyes, I have found evidence of this Abyssal Vestige the older kryptonian spoke of._

"Hey, the scarab's found something!"

"What? What did if find?"

"It's translating now. According to this, when they sealed the vestige away it left a stain on the order. They don't go into detail how exactly, but the Grandmaster of that time left some kind of riddle regarding it."

"Really? Riddles? What's with these ancient people and their damn enigmas?" Maya sounded annoyed.

"The way of the dark fills thee with dread, as the path to the abyss is lined with the dead. A spirit, corrupted, leaves thee a shade, as light and memory begin to fade. Tears of the forsaken lament their fate, to be devoured and destroyed by what knows only hate. For the abyss consumes one from within, he who commits the ultimate sin."

Blue Beetle looked at Maya,"So...any idea what that Dr. Suess just said?"

 **The Watchtower  
March 15 23:15**

Maya and Blue Beetle informed Batman and Oren of what they found in Memphis.

"Hmmm...a stain upon the order? Yet another mystery and another question that needs answers." Batman said.

"What about the others? Did they stop the ritual?" Blue Beetle asked.

"Yes, and managed to find more of the missing civilians. Unfortunately the Dark Brother was there, and Raiku was injured. Oren is tending to his wounds." Batman said.

They found Oren bandaging Raiku's arm in another room. Robin and Kid Flash were there as well to check up on him.

"And I thought I made it clear _not_ to call forth your soulflame in a place such as this. We are guests here and we should not begin making a mess of things." Oren scolded him.

"He had Robin by the throat! I had to do something!" Raiku protested.

"Yeah! He saved my life back there." Robin agreed.

"And it bought us enough time to get the civilians out." Kid Flash added.

"I admire your attempts to defend him, but the consequences of what has happened is greater than you all realize. At the moment our presence here is being kept from the world, mostly for the protection of the Justice League. Can you imagine the reaction the world would have to learn that not only are there more kryptonians amongst them, one half means to cause them harm? Though Kal-El has done a marvelous job painting our kind in a better light, Scilia's schemes would serve to darken it. But I am no fool, and I assume there was more to your decision along with the imminent danger to your comrades." Oren said sternly.

Raiku's mouth tightend as he looked down and away from Oren.

"Hmmm, I see," Oren's tone softened,"Well...in the end, as your two teammates said, you saved countless lives and dealt quite a blow to the Dark Brother. Excellent work."

He turned to Maya and Blue Beetle,"Ah, I see you've returned. What news do you have?"


	6. Chapter 6

**_Marked_**

 **The Watchtower  
March 16 14:15**

Aqualad walked through the halls of the Watchtower, going over the information he received from the Knights regarding Scilia, the Dark Brother and the Dark Sisters. He wondered whether his Atlantean sorcery would be useful when fighting against them, and went to find Oren. He ended up coming across Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman standing at a doorway. Their attention was fixed on what was going on inside, and Aqualad decided to investigate.

Arin and Oren sat in a large room, a table with a small piece of kryptonite between them. Arin had his left hand outstretched towards it, and Aqualad noticed his hand wasn't wrapped. From his fingertips to the middle of his forearm, his skin had a series of cracks in it; a glowing, white light emanated from within. Oren stood across from him, both hands held in up with a bright red rune glowing before him. Both shared the same look of discomfort Superman had.

"What's going on?" Aqualad finally asked.

"Arin's training." Batman answered,"Oren has been trying to see if whatever that power is in Arin's arm can neutralize the radioactivity in kryptonite."

"That's...incredible! Has he succeeded yet?" Aqualad asked.

"No, and they've been at this for the last few hours. I'm more concerned however with their reluctance to tell us much about the power in that young man's arm." Wonder Woman said, annoyed.

"I can understand their hesitancy. I be they're used to constantly having to watch their backs and stay guarded. Give them time Diana, I'm sure we'll get an explanation soon." Superman assured her.

The green glow of the kryptonite slowly began to change to white. The strain on Arin's face intensified, and Oren's hands changed position. Suddenly, the kryptonite began to sizzle then made a high pitched sound as though it would explode. Oren quickly made a rune that formed a small barrier around the kryptonite as it exploded.

"Hmmm, very nice. There was an change in color this time." Oren acknowledged.

Arin quickly wrapped his arm and left without saying a word.

"He wasn't pleased with his progressed?" Aqualad asked as they all walked up.

"No, no it's not that. The arm is a scar for him; one he actively tries to hide from everyone." Oren sighed.

"Why? What happened?" Superman asked.

"When he's ready, you may get the full story from him; but as I stand my word to be transparent, it happened when we battled one of Scilia's associates. Our magic is powered by our soul, a limitless but dangerous source of power. This is because one's own body is used as the conduit, and it can tear down the body if one isn't careful. Our kryptonian biology, especially when strengthened by a sun, increases our durability and allows us to make use of this method more than most species. They used kryptonite to disable me, and they were ready to strike the final blow. Arin managed to channeled an enormous amount of power in his arm and struck them down, but he channeled too much. The energy he was unable to expel in his attack began to build up in his hand until it threatened to destroy him. We were forced to contain that power to his arm with a few seals." Oren explained.

"So now you're trying to teach him to control it?" Superman asked.

"The...circumstances surrounding this are very personal to him, and remain an emotional wall he needs to overcome if he hopes to in the future." Oren said sadly.

"He'll come around." Superman said confidently.

"Yes...but I gather you had something else to discuss with me?" Oren asked, changing the subject.

"We wanted to go over what we've translated so far from the documents Maya and Jaime recovered from Egypt concerning this riddle." Batman said.

"Before we do that, Kaldur? Did you have a question for us?" Wonder Woman asked.

"No, I was merely curious about what was going on in here. I'll be on my way." Aqualad said, and went off to find Arin.

He found him in the training room, performing various slashing and stabbing techniques with his sword. He did that for a few minutes, alternating between standing on the ground and floating in the air. He then stopped, closed his eyes, and held out his right hand. Black flames appeared around his hand followed by a scythe. As he continued on with his techniques, black flames trailed behind scythe, and Aqualad noticed how sinister they felt. After a few more minutes, Arin stopped, and the scythe disappeared.

"Sorry, I didn't know if any of you had this reserved." he said.

Aqualad looked around to see Nightwing and Zatanna were also present.

"Don't sweat it; I've actually never seen techniques like that before." Nightwing said.

"Yeah, the black flames and the scythe are a nice touch." Zatanna added.

"The fire had a...cold feeling to it from here. I also thought the fire you conjured was white." Aqualad commented.

"Black and white fire is my soulflame, and both can damage and empower you physically and spiritually, depending on the flame. The white flame is light and energy, making it perfect against Scilia's dark magic and mental gymnastics. I use the black fire more defensively as it has a special property to it. It's a cold fire that constantly hungers for warmth, burning the very air it touches. This also extends to projectile and ranged attacks, and the fire acts a black hole would; devouring whatever it touches." Arin explained.

"Power like that always come at a cost." Zatanna warned.

"The soulflame itself comes at a cost. It rapidly overcharges the body, and if one holds it for too long, they burst into flame like those cultists we saw the other day. Even with our kryptonian physiology, we can only use it for a few minutes." Arin said.

* * *

Maya stepped out of the shower, and began drying herself off when she noticed a faint scar on her hand. What alarmed her was that the scar looked like a symbol, and if it were magical that she never noticed it. She ran her finger over it and found that the texture of skin remained the same, this mark didn't leave any physical change on her aside from its appearance. She figured it might've came from the base in Memphis, and wondered if Blue Beetle had a mark as well. She quickly got dressed and went to find him.

* * *

Raiku was looking through a video game magazine when Oren knocked on his door.

"Kal-El and I are heading to site where Scilia destroyed the order to see if we can find more information regarding the vestige. Arin shall take charge in my absence. _Behave yourself._ " He said sternly.

"Don't worry Grandmaster. I'll be the poster child of discipline and order." Raiku reassured him.

A few minutes later, he was knocking on Kid Flash's door,"Hey Bart, wanna go run around the town again?"

"Totally! Did your Grandmaster suddenly stop being so strict?" Kid Flash asked.

"No, but he's gone and Arin's in charge. He seriously doesn't care." Raiku assured him.

"I seriously don't care." Arin answered after Raiku asked the question.

"See." he smiled.

"Arin, where'd the Grandmaster go?" Maya asked as she walked into the room.

"He went with Kal-El to find more clues at the site of the Runic Order's massacre." Arin answered.

"He left you in charge?"

"Yes."

"Well, I noticed this mark on my hand. I think it might've came from the base in Memphis. I need to find Jaime and see if he has one too." she explained, showing him her hand.

"A mark?" All three boys asked at once.

"I couldn't feel anything coming from it, but it's much too...artistic to be a random scar." she added.

Arin inspected her hand,"It almsot looks like a rune, but it's incomplete. I agree, find Jaime and see if he might have the other half." Arin instructed.

 **Brazil, South America  
** **March 16 15:30**

Oren and Superman flew towards a lone mountain overlooking the rainforest. Upon landing Superman saw that a door on the side of the mountain looked old and smashed in. He looked closer to see that a black substance covering the broken parts of the door. He touched it and found it was solid, but incredibly cold. He followed Oren further inside and noticed more of the black substance covering parts of the wall as they walked down the hall. He was not prepared for the scene before him when Oren opened the door. Bodies littered the room, some pinned to the wall or ceiling by the same black substance. Those pinned were nothing more than blackened skeletons, while the others looked mummified.

"Is this Scilia's doing?" Superman asked, horrified.

"Yes. As you can see, her methods are quite...vicious." Oren pointed towards a few of the corpses, their mouths open as though silently screaming.

"This substance feels colder than ice." Superman commented.

"It is strange that this substance still resides here." Oren admitted.

They walked further in until they came upon a large stone door slightly ajar.

Oren paused,"Strange...this door can only be unlocked by a specific rune, and only I and the other three know it."

"Is it possible Scilia was able to unlock it?" Superman asked.

"I highly doubt it as it was locked after I returned and discovered this ghastly scene. No...she doesn't have the means or knowledge to unlock this." Oren said.

They walked inside to fine a room full of empty bookshelves.

"Rao's mercy! The books! The scrolls! Everything's gone!" Oren said, horrified.

Through their super hearing, both men heard shallow breathing and an increased heartbeat. They used their x-ray vision and saw a someone peeking around the corner at them. Upon realizing they were looking his way he quickly dashed down the hall, but both kryptonians quickly cut him off. He wore a hooded, dark purple robe, but his pale, skinny hands showed how frail he looked. Gazing up at Oren they saw his eyes were sunken and he had various teeth missing.

"Please, I mean you no harm." he raised his hands in surrender and gave them a toothy grin.

"I would certainly hope not. Now, who are you." Oren demanded.

"I am a simple hermit, one who's name he shed long ago." the hermit answered with a bow.

"Right...well what are you doing here?" Superman asked.

"Foul magics reside in this place, and I remain here to ensure none fall prey to it."

"How have you not fallen prey to it?" Oren asked.

" _I_ studied the ways of the Rune Knights after their extinction. The runes protect me from this place." the hermit declared proudly.

"Truly? Well _I_ am the current Grandmaster of the Rune Knights." Oren said.

The hermit's sunken eyes widened, and he bowed again,"Blessings be upon you Grandmaster! Truly fortune has smiled upon the knights if their existence has continued after all this time."

"How long have you guarded this place?" Oren asked.

"Nearly twenty years Grandmaster. From my cave, not far from here, I witnessed a foul magic erupt from within the mountain. For a few days I avoided the area in fear that same foul force would find me, but one day I decided to investigate. I found the residents just as you have, dead with faces reflecting the horror they must have felt when whatever killed them showed its face." the hermit said.

"Are you the one who opened this vault?" Superman demanded.

"Yes. After studying some of the scriptures lying around I found the way to unlock the door. I then took all the priceless scrolls back to my cave to keep them safe. I shall gladly return them to you Grandmaster, if you'll follow me." the hermit bowed and gave another grin.

Oren hesitated, something about the hermit seemed off to him, and he could see hunger in his sunken eyes. He looked over at Superman and saw that he too looked uneasy about following the hermit, but Oren knew he needed to find the scrolls. He motioned for the hermit to lead on.

 **El Paso, Texas  
** **March 16, 16:00**

Maya arrived at Blue Beetle's home and knocked on the front door, raising her hand to stare at the mark while she waited. What bothered her most about the mark was the lack of any magical energy accompanying it, along with the fact she was unknowingly branded with it. A part of her hoped Blue Beetle wasn't marked as well. A young girl answered the door.

"Hola!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh um, hi!," Maya responded,"I'm looking for Jaime? Does he live here?"

"Just a sec," the little girl turned around,"Mama! There's a girl here for Jaime!"

Soon a woman appeared at the door. Maya assumed it was his mother.

"Hello! He's in the shower right now but you can come in if you'd like." she offered.

Maya thanked her and was led to the living room once inside. His mother went to the kitchen, leaving Maya to take in her surroundings. Her gaze fell upon a few family photos on the shelves, and smiled at one showing Blue Beetle with his mother.

 _I wish I could've had this with my mother..._ she suddenly thought, and quickly dismissed it. She looked behind her to see his little sister staring inquisitively at her.

"Hi! I'm Milagro! You wanna see Jaime's room? He's got cool stuff in there too." she asked.

They passed the bathroom on the way, and Maya could hear the shower water along with what she thought was singing. When they entered his room, she was almost surprised to find it mostly clean. With him closer to Raiku's age she thought he'd be just as messy.

"Oh! I think mama is making us some snacks. I'll go get you some!" Milagro exclaimed, running out of the room.

Maya smiled, she found his little sister adorable.

 _My sisters aren't as welcoming..._

She looked out the window and raised her hand in front of her to stare at the mark again. She didn't notice Blue Beetle walking in.

"Whoa! Hey um...what are you doing here? In my room?" he asked.

She turned around to answer, but the sight of him in nothing but a towel left her speechless for a moment.

"I...um...needed to look at something..."she muttered.

"Can I...put some clothes on first?" he asked, slowly inching towards his closet.

"Yes! Yes, you do that. I will go get some snacks." she said and quickly left the room.

She closed the door and headed for the kitchen. She could hear her heart beating quickly, but realized it wasn't just her own.

 _Your pulse and heart rate are increasing._ The scarab said.

"I know." Blue Beetle replied.

 _Did you find the sight of her threatening?_

"No, just...awkward timing."

After he got dressed, Blue Beetle went and got her from the kitchen and brought her back to his room. She grabbed his hand and saw that he also had a mark, but his looked different.

"I thought you might've done that to get me past the door." He admitted.

"The door! That's it! That's when we must've gotten branded with this!" Maya exclaimed, holding up their hands.

She used her marked hand and grabbed his, trying to manipulate their fingers into different signs.

"What are you doing?"

"If these are runes, then we need to see what they can do."

"Whoa wait! Not here! My identity here is still secret." he protested.

"Oh right, sorry."

Suddenly, the runes on their hands started to glow, and the door to his room began to open. Maya quickly pulled Blue Beetle's hand closer to her to better hide what was going on.

"I made you guys some snack to-" His mother trailed off looking at them. Maya's back was to her, and so it looked as though his hand was on her chest.

"I'm just going to leave this here and...yeah." she said closing the door.

* * *

 **Hermit's Cave, Brazil  
March 16 18:30**

As Oren and Superman followed the hermit deeper into his cave, neither could shake the mounting dread building up inside them. They entered a large room, filled with the missing scrolls and documents from the order.

"I made sure to keep them in the least moist area of the cave." the hermit said proudly.

"Well, I appreciate your help in keeping these documents safe hermit. We'll be taking them with us for further study and to a much more dryer place." Oren said.

Superman saw the look in the hermit's eyes change,"But you can't leave yet. The master's revenge must be fulfilled."

The hermit snapped his fingers, and both Oren and Superman fell to their knees.

Superman could feel his strength rapidly leaving him,"This...feeling...it...feels...like..."

"Kryptonite?" The hermit smiled.

A rock on the one of the walls began to slowly grow green as various runes swirled around it before fizzling out.

"You...kept it behind a barrier...so that...we wouldn't feel it." Oren fought to keep standing. He looked at the ground to see they were both standing on a ward.

"Yes, kryptonite to weaken your powers, and a nullification rune to diminish your magic."

"Treacherous beast...you will not...win...here." Oren's strength gave out and he fell to his knees.

"The Knights are marked Grandmaster, cursed. You should have stayed away, but now I will finish what the master started." The hermit's eyes flashed with malice.

"What do you mean...cursed?" Oren demanded.

"You all have much to answer for, and not enough blood has been shed as recompense. How fortuitous that I will kill both you and the mighty Superman. Once I'm done with you two, I'll ensure the other three meet with a quick and bloody end."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Deceived**_

 **Manhattan, New York  
March 16 17:00**

Raiku and Kid Flash stopped at a pizza restaurant as they walked through the city. After their orders were taken, they took a seat over by the window where Raiku watched the civilians walking by.

"Feels weird having so much time to just sit around." he said, watching as pedestrians and motorist attempted to navigate the traffic filled streets.

"From the way you guys act it looks like having fun was off limits with Oren." Kid Flash commented.

"It...wasn't that. Oren simply kept us hot on Scilia's tail so she'd have no time to recuperate whenever we foiled one of her plots. We didn't really need to rest, but because of the effects dark magic has on her, she does. We think this is where she'll actually make her last stand."

"Hopefully it is, then you guys can stay here. The more the merrier." Kid Flash smiled.

"Hopefully, but knowing our luck she could very well escape, and take some of this world with her." Raiku said sadly.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure we catch her _and_ that she doesn't hurt anyone." Kid Flash assured him.

Still staring out the window, Raiku couldn't help but smile. Kid Flash looked towards the kitchen to see their pizza heading for their table. As they ate the pizza, Raiku suddenly felt a sinister presence around them. He looked around, continuing to eat slices of pizza so as to not tip off whatever might be watching them. He locked eyes with Kid Flash, who also looked somewhat alarmed.

"I don't know if it's the pizza, but I felt a pretty chilly chill go down my spine just now." He sounded worried.

"I felt it too, but keep eating the pizza. If something's watching us, we don't want to tip it off that we're on to it. Just smile and make small talk while I try to pinpoint the source." Raiku said.

"How are you gonna do that?"

"Well, I'm not on Arin or Oren's level of actually _sensing_ where it's coming from, but I do have x-ray vision and super hearing. I'll find something."

They continued to eat their pizza, with Raiku occasionally looking around using his hearing to find whoever they felt watching them. Both were upset once they finished their pizza and Raiku hadn't picked up on anything. They decided to start walking around town in hopes it would draw out whatever was watching them.

"Are you sure someone's actually watching us and it's not another ritual or something?" Kid Flash asked skeptically.

"Yeah, this chill seems focused on and around us. It almost feels like whatever's causing this _wants_ us to be aware of it." Raiku said suspiciously.

"How do you know that?"

"Because you felt it too. If they were trying to be discreet, I wouldn't have picked up on it so quickly and you wouldn't even feel it. This feels like a trap." Raiku warned.

"Then let's spring it! I think we're both fast and strong enough to get out of whatever trap they spring on us." Kid Flash patted him on the back.

Raiku laughed,"Tactics like that would give Oren a stroke. Let's do it."

His gaze was suddenly drawn towards an alley, where a figure in a hooded white robe was facing him. From the way the robe fit the figure he could tell it was a woman, but the hood was so low he could only see the bottom of her face. He looked around and saw that everyone passed her by as though she wasn't there.

"Something over there?" Kid Flash asked looking towards the alley.

"You don't see the white robed woman right there?" Raiku asked in disbelief, pointing towards the alley.

"No, but if you say she's there I believe. We're dealing with crazy kryptonian mages, not much for me to argue against." Kid Flash replied.

The hooded woman smiled and beckoned them to come closer as she slowly backed into the alley.

"So...um...was this hooded lady backing into the alley with a creepy 'come hither' look?" Kid Flash suddenly asked.

"Oh now you can see her?" Raiku sounded annoyed,"C'mon, let's go spring whatever trap she's obviously leading us into."

They followed her down the alley, both boys paying special attention to their surroundings. Raiku used his x-ray vision to look through the walls but only saw two people a few feet ahead of them. Both appeared to be in a conversation and unaware of them approaching. The hooded woman turned around and put her index finger to her lips, telling them to be quiet before pointing towards the two people in front of them. She suddenly disappeared in cloud of black smoke, causing both boys to jump back in alarm.

"What the-" Kid Flash began, but Raiku quickly put his hand over his mouth,"Shhh!"

They peeked around the corner to see a cultist talking to a woman. A closer look revealed her to be one of the civilians they rescued earlier.

"Are you serious right now?" Kid Flash whispered.

Raiku used his super hearing to listen to their conversation.

"Ensure the others understand our Lady's plan. The Knights and the Justice League _cannot_ catch wind of this. The consequences for failure will be dire." The cultist warned.

"The Lady's will be done." she said, bowing her head and quickly walking away.

The cultist turned and walked into the shadows. Raiku used his x-ray vision and saw that he disappeared.

"Teleportation by using actual shadows? Never saw that before." he said.

"Wait, he actually just disappeared?" Kid Flash asked, quickly running towards the spot where the cultist just was.

"Bart! Wait!" Raiku called out.

A tendril shot out of the shadows and quickly wrapped around Kid Flash's leg. Before he could react, more tendrils sprang out, grabbing at his arms and legs. Kid Flash felt his body go numb as he tried to fight them off. Raiku moved to help free him, but quickly dodged to the side as a spear of black ice struck the spot he was before. He looked up to see three Dark Sister's bearing down on him.

"Crap."

* * *

 **Hermit's Cave, Brazil  
March 16 18:40**

Black energy surrounded the hermit's hand, a sadistic grin forming on his face. Oren could only stand on one knee, and looked over to see Superman trying to keep himself up with his arms. He knew it wouldn't be long before Superman succumbed to the effects of the kryptonite, and himself not long afterwards. He needed to hold the hermit off until helped arrived. He slammed his hand on the ground, and three rings of light burst forth and surrounded them. The hermit's grin vanished for a second before he started laughing.

"So full of surprises Grandmaster. How long do you think you can keep that shield up? It doesn't stop the debilitating effects of kryptonite."

Oren could feel his strength still failing him, but much slower with the shield up. He looked over to see Superman lay motionless on the floor.

"Hang on...Kal." The words struggled to escape his mouth. One of the rings suddenly faded away, and he felt more of his strength go with it.

"Treacherous dog," Oren glared at the hermit,"You will find...no victory...here."

"You're not in the best position to make threats Grandmaster." The hermit chided. He placed his hands on the barrier, causing dark ripples to appear. As the next barrier shattered, Oren fell to his knees but kept his hands raised. He poured what strength he could into the final barrier, knowing it was the last thing between him and certain doom.

The hermit cackled wildly as he slowly reached out to shatter the barrier. He gave a cry of pain as his hand was suddenly knocked away by a batarang. Batman landed between the hermit and Oren, with Nightwing, Robin and Zatanna flanking him.

"Batman...the kryptonite..." Oren said weakly.

Robin quickly grabbed the kryptonite off the wall and ran out the cave with it.

"Ah, the mighty Batman. Come to die side by side with your friends?" the hermit chuckled.

"No one's dying today. I'm giving you one chance to surrender and come quietly." Batman warned.

"A chance you've wasted with your mercy fool!" The hermit slammed his fist against the cave wall.

The cavern shook as the ceiling began to cave in around them. They quickly grabbed Oren and Superman and quickly fled the cave as it collapsed behind them.

"Did he really just bring that cave down on himself?" Zatanna asked in disbelief.

"He most likely had an escape route planned. We'll find him." Batman looked at Superman and Oren,"For now, let's get them back to the Watchtower, it's not safe here."

* * *

 **The Watchtower  
** **March 16 19:00**

Maya and Blue Beetle emerged from the transporter and started to look for Arin to inform him of their discovery. They searched the Watchtower but found no trace of him.

"I mean, he's not the type to just go somewhere and not say anything..." Maya said in confusion,"Then again, I don't see Raiku or Bart here either."

"Let's check the computer. It should tell us where he went." Blue Beetle suggested.

Maya agreed and they headed for the mission room.

"So...sorry about that back there." Maya said,"Hope your mom doesn't think you're some kind of pervert now."

"It's ok, she just thinks we were doing teenager things. My dad and little sister gave me a thumbs up, so it's not all bad."

"What's the thumbs up for?" Maya raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know, just them saying good luck...in life." Blue Beetle gave her a thumbs up and an awkward smile.

As they walked past the infirmary they spotted Superman unconscious on a bed with Batman and Wonder Woman watching over him. When they entered they spotted Oren on the other side of the room getting his vitals taken by Atom.

"Oren! What happened?" Maya asked in shock.

"It would appear the witch is a few steps ahead of us. We were attacked by a servant of hers who used kryptonite to weaken us. The effects took longer for me, however Kal's strength is slowly returning." Oren told her.

"Thank Rao you guys are alright. Were you able to find anything before you were attacked?"

"No, the wretch brought the cavern down around us after help arrived." Oren sounded disappointed.

"Don't worry, I'll start an excavation in there tomorrow. Hopefully the cave in didn't destroy everything." Batman assured them.

"I'm grateful for your assistance Batman. It is unfortunate no new information was gained today." Oren admitted sadly.

"Not true, Jaime and I discovered something." Maya said, grabbing Blue Beetle's hand activating the rune.

Oren nearly jumped out of his seat in delight,"Ah! Excellent work! It looks to be a key of some sort. Where did you two get this?"

"The door in Memphis was warded so only I could pass through. I grabbed Jaime's hand and led him through and luckily the ward must've not noticed we were two separate people. It must've branded us with this when we passed through, but we both only recently noticed it." Maya explained.

Oren inspected their hands,"It doesn't look as though you've fully unlocked this key's power."

"What do you mean? It glows and everything." Blue Beetle said.

"Yes, but that is because Maya knows how to tap into a rune. You on the other hand, do not."

"How long would it take to train him in your ways Grandmaster?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Years, but we may not need to do that. Since the rune is nothing more than a key, all he'll need is intense concentration and discipline."

"Not something you'll find in your typical teenager." Atom joked.

"Nevertheless, you should seek out Arin. He'll be able to teach you the skills and discipline required to unlock this key."

"We can't find him." Maya said.

"Yeah, we were headed to mission room to use the computer to find him." Blue Beetle added.

Oren's eyes narrowed,"Where's Raiku?"

* * *

 **Uknown Location  
** **March 16 19:10**

Kid Flash awoke to find himself in a dimly lit cell. He quickly looked around for signs of Raiku, only to find himself alone. As he approached the bars to try and get a look at his surroundings, a Dark Sister appeared on the other side.

"The mut's companion finally stirs." she said mockingly.

"Where's Raiku? What have you done with him?" Kid Flash demanded.

"He will be delivered to Mother, as will you." she held up her hands in praise,"Rejoice, for soon you too will come to know Mother's love."

"No thanks." Kid Flash retorted.

She lowered her hands and slowly approached his cell,"You will not have a choice. No one denies Mother's love."

"Looks like Maya's doing a pretty good job of that." Kid Flash smirked.

The Dark Sister's eyes flashed with anger as she reached through the bars and grabbed him by throat.

"I shall enjoy watching you suffer for Mother's love." she snarled before throwing him to the back of the cell and walking off.

Kid Flash rubbed his neck, somewhat alarmed to find his skin felt incredibly cold. He approached the bars, and after checking to make sure no guards were nearby, phased through it and began looking for Raiku. As he sped through halls of the cavern he stopped to listen in on the conversations of some of the cultists for clues. Unfortunately none of the conversations he eavesdropped on gave any information about Raiku. He was also unable to find an exit to the cavern as many hallways began to look the same. He suddenly spotted the same Dark Sister from earlier walking out of room and beckoning a cultist to approach her. He quickly hid behind a rock close by to listen in.

"Mother will be here soon. The mutt is remains shackled in our magic, but he is a strong one. If he should make _any_ attempt to free himself from bondage, use this on him." she handed the cultist a small shard of ice. Kid Flash could see a faint, green glow within the ice.

 _Kryptonite!_

"Impale his chest, and watch his final moments. I must fetch our Brother and make preparations."

Kid Flash waited for her to leave and the cultist to enter the room before making his move. He dashed into the room and hid behind another rock before looking around.

While the rest of the cavern was dark with barely any light, the room holding Raiku was fully lit. Raiku was in the middle of the room, chained to the floor. Looking closer Kid Flash saw the chains were made of black ice. Raiku's eyes were closed, as though he were deep in thought. He didn't even twitch when the cultist grabbed him by the hair and raised his head to look at him.

"Wake up mutt. We can't have you being comfortable." The cultist sneered.

Raiku reared his head back and quickly brought it forward to headbutt the cultist, sending him flying back. Kid Flash struggled not to laugh at the situation. The cultist got back up, furiously rubbing his head.

Raiku opened his eyes,"You shouldn't stand to close to a bear you just poked bud."

The cultist took out the shard of ice and held it to Raiku's face,"You know what this is don't you?" he snarled.

"Oh, so that's what made you grow a pair and grab my hair." Raiku smiled.

"Let's see how your levity holds when She arrives. I can almost hear your screams now."

"Why wait? According to my super hearing weren't you given instructions to stab me with that if I tried to escape?" Raiku winked at the cultist. Kid Flash realized the wink was letting him know Raiku knew he was there.

"You are not so foolish to attempt an escape while I'm standing right here." the cultist said confidently.

Raiku lifted his arm and quickly broke a chain binding him to the floor. The cultist leaped back in surprise before charging at him with the shard. Kid Flash dashed out and knocked him into the wall. The shard was knocked out of his hand in the process, and Kid Flash reached for it.

"Don't touch it!" Raiku warned.

He pulled back his hand and let it fall to the ground and moved to help Raiku out of his chains.

"Stay back. They've enchanted that shard and these chains. You touch either one, you'll be encased in ice and probably freeze to death." he warned.

"So how are you able to just break out of those chains?"

"Benefits of a blue sun. Their magic is powerful, but our magic coupled with our own biology helps us overcome it eventually. That's why she instructed him to kill me." Raiku explained, breaking off more of the chains.

"Okay, cool. Let's get you out of there and get out of here before she comes back with her brother and mom." Kid Flash said.

"Oh, it's much too late for that." Came a deep voice.

Kid Flash barely moved out of the way before a Dark Sister's spear struck the spot he was at. Raiku broke the last of his chains and rose to face the Dark Brother, flanked by two of his Sisters.

An explosion occurred above them, and from the smoke dropped Arin.

"Good to see these homing beacons work wherever we are." Raiku grinned, holding up a beacon.

"You...allowed yourselves to be captured." The Dark Brother growled.

"Of course. How else were we supposed to find you when you hide like rodents." Arin raised his sword,"You won't escape this time."

"No, you most certainly won't." The Dark Brother shot back.


End file.
